The Faith of the Many
__TOC__ The Core Tenants of the Faith of the Many The Faith of the Many is a group of religions worshiping a large pantheon of gods. There are three groups and one accepted outlier. The different interpretations often disagree on the importance and ranking of these gods but they do in general have a lot in common. In principle, the Faith of Many holds that Euberk is the strongest of all Gods, and that all others serve at his request. The Faith does not claim that any of the gods are particularly interested in the lives of mortals and so the gods only help those who help themselves. There are two critical holidays shared across the interpretations: The Mourning Festival is a week of religious holidays in early spring. In some places it is a sombre event and in others it is a jovial one. This marks the death of Euberk's mortal form, the week of terror that followed, then the birth of Addor the Warrior from Euberk's corpse. The Crossing of the Bridge is the highest holiday, celebrated six months from The Mourning Festival. It is generally a sombre event celebrating Euberk's crossing into the Divine Realm to fight Sky having fought his way out of the clutches of the Soul Forge. The Elder Triad The Elder Triad is a group of three Gods, believed to be the oldest. The Faith of the Many claims that they created the members of The Many except for Euberk and Addor. In the Age of Legends Sky claimed dominion over all things, and created the Elves in his own image to enforce that dominion over Oenus. Sea and Earth gave Euberk and Addor the power to defeat Sky. The annals of that conflict comprise the majority of the religious texts of the Faith of the Many. Sky|Sky Sea|Sea Earth|Earth The Many All members of The Many are believed to have been created to serve The Elder Triad except for Euberk, Addor, and Gaia. Since the overthrow of the Elder Triad they all serve Addor. Euberk the King|Euberk the King Gaia the Earth|Gaia the Earth Aran the Tempter|Aran the Tempter Aniel the Redeemer|Aniel the Redeemer Addor the Warrior|Addor the Warrior Rielah the Worker|Rielah the Worker Illumos|Illumos the Reaper Elrohin the Young|Elrohin the Young Gwindor the Fair|Gwindor the Fair The Lesser Choir There are many weaker gods within the Many leading small cults on Oenus. These gods fight among themselves regularly for the souls of these cultists. They are kept under control by Gwindor. Jaheon Jaheon is acknowledged by the followers of the Faith of the Many. His location within the pantheon is a topic of debate. Most would place him as a member of The Many but a few would argue that Jaheon does not belong there and should be one of the Lesser Choir because of his refusal to serve Euberk. Interpretations Dwarven Orthodoxy allege that Elves were willing servants of Sky during the Age of Legends. They would claim that Elves are naturally evil and prone to temptation. Most people outside Ollambac followed a reformed Dwarven interpretation which does not make the claim that Elves are naturally evil. Elven Orthodoxy allege that Elves were compelled by divine force to serve Sky. This is a highly literal interpretation of scripture which argues that mortals have no free will. Elven Apologism is a rare and controversial belief that Sky was not wrong to oppress the mortals of Oenus and that the rule of the strong over the weak is natural. Euberk and Addor are seen as The Rightful Tyrants. Reformed Elven interpretations are the odd one out in that they almost completely disregard the traditional scripture. This is a religion by community with a set of codified religious laws known as "The Works". Anyone can contribute to the works if they can argue that it is the correct way to the community at large. Category:Religion